Our Testing Services

This test is used to determine the insulation elasticity and propagation of damage through the wire/cable insulation.

This test determines if a finished wire specimen will block (stick to itself) when subjected to the rated temperature of the specimen. While on an aircraft, wires may be exposed to high temperatures and it important to check if the finished wire specimens are prone to blocking. At the end of the test, we will inspect the wire and examine for adhesion (blocking) of adjacent turns.

This test determines the elongation of insulation of a wire in a circumferential direction. This test was developed to measure the resistance of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) insulation to rupture when under a radial stress. Using a power driven apparatus built by Lectromec technicians, a cone shall be driven through the insulation. At the end of the test, the average percent circumferential elongation shall be calculated.

This test determines the resistance of wire insulation to cracking at low temperature while being bent around a mandrel. Using a special cold chamber, we can condition the specimen at the low temperatures that can be experienced during flight and study how it reacts to the extreme conditions. This is a very good way to determine if the wire sample would be able to survive at these typical temperatures. At the end of the test, we will examine for any visible cracks then perform a wet dielectric test for assurance.

This test determines the diameter of the conductor after the insulation has been removed. This physical test can be very useful when trying to conduct tests or determining if a wire sample can be used in a specific machine. At the end of this test, we will report each measured conductor diameter and the average conductor diameter for each specimen measured.

This test determines a conductor's direct current (DC) resistance at a specified reference temperature (typically set at ambient temperature). There are two methods used to conduct this test known as the Kelvin Bridge Method and the Wheatstone Bridge Method which are used to obtain the resistance of the specimen. Both methods will give similar results, however, the Kelvin Bridge Method is more accurate. At the end of the test, the reported results include the specimen's conductor resistance and the test parameters.

The purpose of this test is to assess the conductor's ability to absorb solder. Soldering is a common method for wiring to connectors on aircraft. Certain conductors plates such as tin and silver are more solderable and thus used for these applications.

Upon completion of a fabricated wire, it is crucial to ensure that each of the wire's components are suitable for use. Conductor Strand Blocking provides a method to determine if conductor strands will adhere to each other in the finished wire. This test was developed as a process control test for silver coated copper conductors of MIL-DTL-81381 polyimide insulated wires, but it may be applied to other conductors and insulation types when strand blocking is a potential problem.

Conductor stranding is a quality check method to determine the stranding value. The value is determined by the number of strands times the wire gauge of the strands.

Also referred to as Contrast of Jacket or Contrast Test. The readability of a wire/cable is of critical importance for the proper installation, maintenance, and repair of the wiring system, thus the reason why UV laser marking of wires has become a widely used technology through the aerospace industry and has several benefits over traditional ink marking of wires/cables. The contrast measurement test examination evaluates the contrast of the UV laser marked area with the unmarked parts of the wire.

This test evaluates tape wrapped insulation for sealing between wraps after thermal stress.

This test is typically used as a process control test to ensure that the measured diameter of a manufactured wire is within the range provided in the wire/cable specification. The wire/cable is measured in several locations and the average diameter is reported. For non-uniform cables, such as with twisted pairs, measurements are made both for the minimum and maximum diameter.

The dielectric is perhaps one of the most referenced tests when examining wires. The reason is that it tests the most important part of the wire insulation: determine if the wire insulation is free of breaches (or has been sufficiently degraded such that a high voltage would breach any weak points in the insulation). The basics of the test are that the entire wire, except for an inch at both ends, is placed in a water bath (with salt and wetting agent) and a high voltage potential is placed between the conductor and the return electrode in the water bath. If there is a failure in the insulation, then there will be a noticeable current flow. Dependent on the test method used, the pretest soak time, voltage amplitude and type (AC or DC) will vary.

The test evaluates a wire's ability to prevent arc-propagation to other wires in the sample harness.

The dynamic cut-through test is designed to assess the cut-through force of a wire/cable specimen. The wire/cable specimen is compressed under a the fine edge of a jig until contact is made between the wire/cable conductor and the test jig. The pass/fail criteria for this test is based on the wire/cable's specification.

Flammability is perhaps one of the most common and most important tests performed on aerospace wiring. In general, a length of the wire/cable under test is placed in a draft-free chamber and hung free over a high-temperature flame for 30seconds - 15 minutes (specification dependent). A piece of tissue paper is placed under the sample to catch falling debris.

The forced hydrolysis test places wire/cable specimen in a high-temperature water bath for an extended duration to evaluate the durability of a wire insulation in high-humidity conditions. Depending on the particular wire specification needs, the test may be required to run for thousands of hours. After the prolonged exposure, the sample is then examined and exposed to a dielectric voltage withstand (DVW) test.

The humidity resistance test evaluates the impact of prolonged heat and humidity exposure to wire/cable insulation.

Measuring the insulation concentricity and wall thickness is a quality assurance test that can identify uniformity issues. Wires with non-uniform insulation (or cables with non-uniform jackets) will have an unbalanced insulation wall thickness that can make the wire/cable more susceptible to mechanical or electrical failure. This test can be performed on wire gauges ranging from 30AWG to 0000AWG and one wholly tape wrapped and extruded constructions.

In this evaluation, the insulation construction of a wire sample is validated by a visual examination at 2x magnification.

This test is to be used to evaluate the cross-linking of certain types of wire insulation.

This test determines the insulation resistance of a finished wire sample. Insulation resistance is of interest in high impedance circuits and as an insulation process quality control test. When used as part of a wire/cable environmental testing, prolonged thermal exposure, and/or extended high voltage testing, changes in the insulation resistance can be used as an indicator of insulation deterioration.

The insulation shrinkage test objective is to evaluate a wire/cable’s insulation propensity for shrinkage with exposure to elevated temperature.

The insulation stripping test evaluates the ability of insulation to be stripped from a wire sample without causing damage to the conductor.

This test is to be used to determine whether a specimen will crack when wrapped upon itself or around a mandrel.

The jacket flaws test (or spark test) aims to identify any defects in a wire/ cable's outer insulation that would allow an amount of leakage current.

The life cycle test (also referred to as the 'Multi-day heat aging test') seeks to assess short-term elevated temperature exposure to a wire/cable above the sample's temperature rating.

During the degradation process of ETFE and XL-ETFE, fluorine gas is released from the insulation into the environment. This test seeks to quantify the amount of off-gassed material.

The long-term readability of wire/cable identification is important for supporting EWIS maintenance operations. A wire/cable with an easily identifiable circuit identification will make it easier to identify the correct circuit in need of evaluation/repair/replacement. If the identification has worn off, then debugging operations may require removing more equipment and/or demating more connectors.
The marking durability test seeks to evaluate the wire/cable identification after abrasion. The pass/fail criteria are based on the individual wire/cable specification but is primarily focused the readability of the wire/cable marks.

The overload resistance test, also known as the smoke resistance test, is designed to examine the durability of the wire insulation under extended periods of internal heating caused by over-current conditions.

In this test, a sample is exposed to a variety of aerospace fluids. The duration and temperature of the exposure varies and is defined by the selected test standard.

This test assesses the wire/cable's insulation durability to sharp edges at ambient temperature. The sample is abraded until there is electrical conductivity between the scrape abrasion jig and sample under test.

The Seamless or Smooth Surface Verification test is a process control test used to ensure that smooth wrapped tape insulation has properly annealed without a visible outer edge or observable internal wrapping lines.

The smoke resistance test places a high current through the wire/cable to determine if the insulation/jacket will produce smoke. The current is increased on the specimen until the conductor temperature reaches the rated insulation temperature.

The purpose of this test is to measure the resistance of the outer surface of the insulation in a high humidity environment. This is to ensure that the resistance along the outer surface is large enough to prevent leakage current between connections.

This method is intended for use in determining the tensile strength and percentage elongation at break of conductors.

The thermal index test (also known as the Relative Thermal Life and Temperature Index) is based on multiple cycles of elevated temperature exposure, mechanical stressing, and electrical insulation integrity checks. The goal of this test is to determine the maximum continuous operational temperature for the wire/cable for a targeted time interval (the common goal for aerospace wires is to find the maximum continuous temperature for 10,000 hours of operation). This is achieved with long-term exposure to temperatures above this desired temperature rating.

Temperature cycling can cause rapid degradation of wire/cable insulation integrity. This can manifest and insulation splits, cracks, and/or delamination. Often an overlooked test method for assessment, the thermal shock test proves and excellent means of assessing the construction quality of a wire or cable.

The weight assessment test is used as a test to determine if the final cable weight it within the range listed in the product specification.

The wet arc-resistance test for wire insulation provides an assessment of the ability of an insulation to prevent damage in an electrical arc environment.

The wicking test focuses on the wire insulation's propensity for drawing fluids into the insulation.

Insulation color is often used to identify a wire or cable’s system or function(s). This test evaluates the characteristics of an insulator's color as compared to the limitations specified in the applicable standard.

It is important that wires involved in a large EWIS system be easily and uniformly identifiable by the manufacturer's markings. This test entails a visual examination of the identification markings on a wire sample.

Knowing the weight of every component on an aircraft, down to the last wire, is vital to good design. This test is to be used to evaluate the weight of a finished wire specimen, it may also be applied to uninsulated conductor for certain standards.

The wrap back examines a wire/cable's insulation susceptibility to breach when tightly wrapped around itself and exposed to elevated temperatures. This test is usually required in the individual wire specifications as part of the insulation integrity assessment. After the elevated temperature exposure, the specimen is visually examined for any insulation cracks (or delamination in the case of tape wrapped insulations). The insulation integrity is then examined with a wet dielectric test.